


You Idiot

by spiritedziam



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Morty Smith, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, M/M, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:22:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14293737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiritedziam/pseuds/spiritedziam
Summary: Rick's wounds are all infected. The poison in them leaks into his words and finds its way into Morty every single time. He loves him anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

At this point in his life Morty knew he shouldn't be alive. Part of him didn't even want to still be alive. Today he stands 18 years old, jaded and tired. He stumbles through the portal nearly falling onto the garage floor. Rick is already there waiting for him.

"W-what the fuck was that, Morty? Are you insane?" he shouts.

"Oh me? I'm insane? I just saved our asses," Morty grunts back at him. He walks passed Rick and leans with both hands on the table, facing away from him and gasping for air.

"You saved us, are you fucking kiddi- is-is this a joke? You risked the whole plan because of something I could've handled on my own!"

Morty bows his head, closes his eyes and lets Rick yell at his back. He knows Rick will never admit it but Morty did save them today. They had stolen a fruit from the heart of an alien city. Who knew that the fruit was the literal heart of the city and that once removed everything would fall apart? In retrospect that is something Rick was aware of but he had a habit of making up escape plans as he went along. With the city and soon to be the whole planet crashing around them, they were running out of places to go. Alien soldiers were gaining on them, shooting, desperate to get their precious heart back. A shot grazed Rick's left arm and he hissed in pain almost losing his footing. Before he could think twice about it, Morty grabbed Rick by the shoulder, took the portal gun from his old lab coat, shot a portal and shoved Rick through it. He continued to run, heart and portal gun in hand. Buildings crumbled around him, voices screaming in a language he couldn't understand. In stereotypical Morty fashion, he trips and tumbles to the ground, dropping everything in his hands. To his right was the portal gun, the left the heart. 

"I'm sorry that fruit is m-more important to you than both of our lives," Morty practically sighs back.

"Of course it is! Do you know what I could've done with that? God Morty you are such an idiot," Rick continues to yell. Morty can hear him putting something together to tend to his wounded arm but won't turn to look at him. 

In the years that they've adventured together Morty has picked up an extensive bit of knowledge. He wouldn't call himself an idiot anymore but of course everyone is compared to Rick. He's accepted this and gave up fighting RIck on it. If he wants to call him an idiot then so be it. This isn't the first time Morty has had to sacrifice something to either save him or Rick and it certainly won't be the last. He grows more and more tired each time. He pulls the tiny fruit sized heart from his pocket and leaves it on the table.

"Okay, Rick," he says, pushing off the table, heading inside and slamming the garage door behind him. 

Rick says nothing and doesn't bother to follow him inside but of course he wouldn't. No one else is home, that's pretty normal now. With Jerry gone Beth has been working twice as much to keep their house and Summer has gone off to college. Morty misses her more than he'll admit. He chokes down a glass of water before trudging upstairs for a shower. In the bathroom he stares at his reflection. He's gotten taller as the years went by but not surpassing Rick. His body looks toned from every adventure and riddled with scars. He's still unhappy with what he sees, never quite grew out of his awkward baby face. He doesn't bother to wait for the water to heat up before getting in, showering quickly before retiring to his room. Nothing about it has changed since he was 14 save for a bigger bed. There's stains on the carpet from nights where Rick drunkenly crept his way in only to vomit and pass out on the floor. Sometimes he would make it to the bed. Morty tried to not think too hard about those nights. Something about Rick's cold body curling up next to him and falling asleep made Morty feel special. Of all the places he could be, he chose Morty's bed. Those nights reminded him  
that all humans are fragile, even Rick. Morty turns the lights off and lays back in bed. The moon fills his room with a sorrowful sort of light. When he was a kid he stuck glow-in-the-dark stars all over his ceiling. He looked up at them with nostalgia in his heart. Things were simpler back then when the stars were just unattainable twinkles in the sky. Nowadays he knew the galaxy like the back of his hand. Not as well as Rick but that would be impossible. Everything with Rick is impossible. Something heavier than nostalgia weighs on his chest. At some point he hears his mom finally come home from a long night at work and immediately go to the kitchen for a glass of wine. Knowing Beth she might be having the whole bottle. Morty thought about going to see her but exhaustion took over as he closed his eyes and let visions of far away planets dance in his head.

Morty doesn't know how long he's been asleep before the sound of his door creaking open wakes him, causing him to jolt upright. The things he's seen during his time with Rick made him a light sleeper, always ready for an attack, constantly in fight or flight mode. 

"It's uh..it's me," grumbled Rick from the doorway. Morty could only see his silhouette but he would know his Rick anywhere. Morty hummed in response before falling back against his pillow. Rick stays where he is, slightly hunched. The last few years may have aged Morty but they've done nothing to change Rick's appearance. 

"Y-you better be listening because it's not often I say this shit alright?" Rick grunts. Morty hums again, eyes closed.

"I just wanted to say thanks for hanging onto the heart. A-and for getting yourself outta there and whatever. I know you won't listen b-because you're an idiot with some t-type of hero complex but you really need to knock that shit off, y-you know? What if one day you don't come home? I'm o-only thinking about Beth and Summer here."

A smile forms across Morty's sleepy face and he sat up to look at Rick.

"That's it, huh? Y-you wouldn't miss having me around?" Morty whispers into the darkness.

"O-o-oh yeah, sure Morty, you can go ahead and think that if it makes you feel good. You know there are infinite you's and plenty without Rick's. I could go pick out another one any day so don't worry about me," Rick bites back.

Morty sighs and flops back onto his bed. That was nice while it lasted. Rick lingers in the doorway for a minute longer.

"In or out Rick, just shut the door," Morty grumbles before turning over and curling into his sheets.  
To his surprise Morty hears the door close and then the shuffling of Rick's feet across the carpet. He hears him kick off his shoes, shrug off his lab coat and then feels him crawl into bed. Neither of them say anything. Rick doesn't smell any more like alcohol than he usually does. Morty finds comfort in having him close. Sleep comes easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo this is my first Rick and Morty fanfic, sorry if it's terrible. Feedback is greatly appreciated, will update when I can. Thanks for reading~


	2. Chapter 2

The light from the morning sun pours through Morty's blinds rousing him from his sleep. Rick isn't there but he's normally gone by the time Morty wakes up. Morty touches the place in bed where Rick had been laying. Rick had a way of leaving the space he once occupied cold and empty. Morty wished he would stop disappearing. He wished things were like they were when he was younger, adventures, Summer, Mom and Dad. Things had a more cynical feel to them these days. Everything is colder. Distrust and fear course through Morty's veins. He clenches his fist, stands and reaches for his door. When he opens it he's shocked to see Rick standing there and jumps.

"W-what the hell, Rick? I almost hit you!" he shrieks. Rick snorts with a lazy expression on his face.

"Y-y-yeah, cause I'm so intimidated.We have shit to do, come on," Rick says, turning and walking away before he even finishes.

Rick gives him little time to get dressed before dragging him into the garage and shoving him into the ship. Even through the long journey the galaxy they do not discuss their night spent together, they never do.

"Where are we going?" Morty tries to ask.

"Sh-shut up," Rick replies with half lidded eyes taking a swig from his flask.

_Right. Sit down and shut up. Be a good little shield._

Morty brings his long gangly legs up to his chest, curling up against the ships door. He watches the cosmos pass him by. He thinks about punching Rick right in his smug face. Morty knows that even now he wouldn't be able to take Rick on but the thought comes often.

"Knock it off," Rick gruffs out.

"What?" Morty asks without turning away from the window.

"You're doing that thing you always do. You're pouting, it's annoying."

"Sorry."

"Oh J-Jesus Christ M-Morty. Stop. Y-y-you know sometimes I wish you were still 14, at least then your st-stupid teenage hormones just made you want to fuck everything. Now you're just all moody."

"At least I have emotions at all. I'm not like you," Morty continues to watch the stars and planets roll by. He tries to imagine the perfect planet and thinks about crash landing there.

"People dream of being me."

"Yeah well I don't."

"Because you're an idiot who can't see the truth about things. Always looking for a reason, always trying to do good."

There's that word again. You'd think he would've gotten used to it but he can't shake the feeling it gives him. It isn't fair. Morty plants his feet firmly on the ship floor and stares at Ricks side profile.

"Enough Rick! If I'm such an idiot then why are you still here? Go get a different Morty and leave me alone. All I do is fuck up right?" Anger builds in Morty's system. "This isn't fucking fair Rick! I'm so tired, I'm not like you, I can't be like you. I'm sorry, okay? I will never be enough for you and I understand why but holy shit do you have to shove it in my face every chance you get? I've done so much for you and you can't even acknowledge that. Whatever I don't care. I'll take a lesson from your book, I don't give a shit anymore, I'm done talking."

At a younger age tears would've built up in Morty's eyes but not now. There is strength behind his words, voice not cracking but growling. Rick says nothing which was expected. Not much later they land roughly on a planet Morty doesn't fully recognize. They both get out of the ship, slamming their doors shut with the same aggression. The dull planet appears abandoned, all former structures aside from one in ruins before them. Without a word Rick heads for the last building.

"Jeez....what happened here?" Morty asks under his breath, talking mostly to himself.

"Me," Rick says, sipping from his flask again. Morty doesn't respond.

They pass by piles of rubble and Morty considers the possibility of innocent beings dying here at the hands of Rick. He stopped trying to justify Rick's actions long ago. The adventure goes smoothly or rather as smoothly as something can with Ricks carelessness and Morty's clumsiness. Rick raids the last building and Morty watches his back. The survivors of whatever terror Rick brought down upon this planet had taken refuge there. Rick walks calmly by them and Morty watches them quiver. His eyes turn sad seeing the natives cling to each other. Some whisper to each other but none dare to speak up. Rick and Morty do not speak to each other for the entire trip and the ride home is just as quiet. Morty doesn't ask what he did, why Rick destroyed that town. He doesn't need or want to know. When they return to their little suburban home Morty leaves Rick in the garage, retiring to his room.

\--

It's late into the night when Morty sees Rick again. It must be around 3 am, Morty lays restless in his bed. The faces of the innocent etch themselves into his eyelids, he sees them when he closes his eyes. It's then that Rick quite literally falls into his room, pushing open the door with all of his weight and landing face first into the carpet.

"Mmmmmorrrtyy," he groans. Morty stares down at him from his spot on the bed with a blank expression.

"What, Rick?" Rick keeps his face in the carpet as he crawls his way closer to the bed.

"Mort Mort. Morty," Rick sings followed by a burp. He reaks of whatever it is he's been drowning himself in.

"J-j-jesus Rick, what did you drink?" Morty asks as Rick sluggishly claws his way into the bed. Morty tucks his feet up and let's Rick take up the middle of the bed.

"E-e-everything. All of it. Yup. Woosh," Rick responds, flopping onto his back and gesturing towards the ceiling wildly.

"Please don't throw up in my bed. _Again_. I'm gonna go get a towel just in case." Morty turns to get off the bed but Rick grabs his wrist.

"N-n-no Morty, y-you gotta stay r-right there Morty."

"Come on, what the hell, let go. I'm just grabbing a towel." Morty tries to tug his arm away but to no avail. Despite how intoxicated Rick is he still manages to overpower him.

"Stay. You g-gotta stay. I know I'm bad. I know," Rick says. He almost sounds like he's in pain. Morty lets Rick pull him back until he's laying beside him in bed.

Morty sighs and says, "What are you talking about?"

"Y-you think I want to be like this? I l-lose everything. Ruin it without even trying. You're a-all I have. At-at least every Rick has a M-Morty. Mort Mort." Rick starts chuckling and muttering to himself.

"Shut up. Go to sleep before you puke or shit my bed," Morty says. Part of him wants Rick to keep going. He wants to take advantage of this vulnerability but can't bring himself to do it. It mostly feels like a slap to the face.

_Oh so you know you're an asshole? You know how terrible you are and do nothing to fix it? You can't help yourself can you? It's just so easy to tear apart the people that love you._

The word love feels heavy and bounces around Morty's head. He does love Rick.

Rick chuckles to himself. "Y-you don't get it. No ones gonna get it. I g-get lonely too. Come, sleep. Need lotta sleep."

Rick turns onto his side, throws an arm and a leg over Morty's body.

"Why do you keep doing this?" Morty whispers into the dark but Rick is already snoring softly.

Under the gentle weight of Ricks gangly limbs Morty finds sleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this drunk, forgive me

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooo this is my first Rick and Morty fanfic, sorry if it's terrible. Feedback is greatly appreciated, will update when I can. Thanks for reading~


End file.
